The PCS General Secretary election has started and the election addresses show exactly what is at stake. Every LU member must read the right-wing candidate’s statement. It starkly demonstrates that Bryson, in himself an unimportant fantasist, is the candidate of the political establishment and management and that they are giving him more than moral support – his election address smacks of the most unprincipled spin, personalised abuse and red-baiting scare tactics that characterised the worst days of CPSA under the discredited Barry Reamsbottom.
Bryson’s message is simple – there is no point standing up to management and the government, we can’t win so we may as well give up now. The “Moderates”, re-branded as 4tm, claim they want “partnership” with the government, indeed even with the Tories, if they win the election, and management. Bryson offers no alternative to cuts and privatisation and no campaign strategy to oppose and defeat these assaults: “partnership” as he defines it can only mean he wants a return to the days when Moderate “leaders” presided over a bonfire of national agreements, including on pay. Right wing leaders spent more time attacking activists and members rather than defending their interests, they ignored conference policy and the employer saw them not just as a soft touch but valuable allies in pushing through their agenda.
Bryson’s election address, undoubtedly written by an establishment spin doctor, uses the old methods of lies, smears and conflation of unrelated issues to present a picture of Mark Serwotka and the PCS leadership that bears no resemblance to reality.

The accusation that Mark and the PCS national leadership advocate “massive industrial action” as the only way to fight attacks on members intentionally ignores the exemplary work carried out by PCS from national through to branch level in defending members’ interests, including building the biggest and most influential Parliamentary Committee’s in the trade union movement. The difference between Mark and his opponent is that he is not afraid to organise action as a last resort when negotiations fail or when management simply fail to listen.
Here are some of the other lies and spin: -

It was Mark and PCS who secured protection of the final salary pension scheme, everyone else wanted to settle for less, Bryson’s claim it was “brokered” by the TUC is a treacherous lie directed against the union he aspires to “lead”.

Mark has raised the profile of PCS from a marginalised union to one of the most influential in Britain, something reflected in the tremendous growth in membership in recent years. Bryson’s claim that “PCS is losing the battle of ideas in the media” is beyond belief. No union leader has more coverage than Mark and it is precisely because he, on behalf of PCS, opposes the attacks on conditions but also, based on conference policy, proposes a credible alternative, including the collection of avoided and uncollected taxation that people listen.

The right wing’s hatred of the democratic, left leadership in PCS that poses an alternative to their do-nothing collaborationist “strategy” is shockingly reflected in Bryson’s election address when he claims PCS has “comprehensively failedin negotiations on the Civil Service Compensation Scheme”. On the contrary PCS’s campaign work, including organising and channelling members’ anger into effective protest against these unacceptable proposals has the Cabinet Office rattled. If the right wing had to deal with these proposals then they would have been accepted without complaint.

Mark has always shown the greatest interests in and given the fullest support to groups in their campaigns and negotiations and the suggestion he was not “focused” on events in DWP over pay is the precise opposite of the truth.

Bryson’s comments about “open borders policy” is a disgraceful attempt to play on members fears over immigration and would not seem out of place in some far right literature.
Although not a full list of the lies in Bryson’s address these show precisely why every Left Unity member must not rest until we have made sure that all that can be done is done. We must ensure Mark not only wins this election but does so with the biggest possible majority – the best way to silence the cynical voice of right wing despair, division and collaboration.
If anyone wants to know what PCS under a right wing general secretary will be like just look at Bryson election address - especially the part that regurgitates a nasty little attack fed to the Times newspaper by one of his right wing colleagues that claims PCS reps use “taxpayer funded facility time to engage in far-left political activity” i.e., fighting cuts and privatisation. Sinking that low demonstrates the right wing would rather see PCS destroyed than have the type of leadership that stands up to their bosses and financial backers in the political establishment.

Membership up by 20% since when? Membership climbed when the civil service got bigger. I’m told it is currently in decline, under 70% in DWP for the first time.

+ Parliamentary Groups in Westminster, Cardiff, Edinburgh
We had a Parliamentary Group when Reamsbottom was in charge, Cardiff and Edinburgh didn’t have devolution back then. Trouble id that people like John McDonnell have no influence on Government.

+ High profile in the media
No evidence of that one, and it certainly hasn’t benefited us.

+ Thousands more local representatives and over 1,500 union learning reps
Completeley unquatifiable, but there are fewer activists in most offices, and elections in branches (which show a healthy local interest when they happen) are virtually unheard of thse days.

+ Over £24m compensation won for personal injuries
Actually a decline in real terms on what was won in the ten years before Mark became GS!

+ Defended the final salary pension scheme and the pension age at 60 for existing staff, and introduced a good scheme for new entrants
The pension scheme remains under threat. The new scheme for new entrants has no compensation scheme, costs more and pays less

+ Won a national agreement on avoiding compulsory redundancies – since then, not a single member has lost their job against their will
Not a single member has lost their job against their will? UNTRUE. Ask DTI, QCA, OFSTED, to name but a few.

+ Stopped the withdrawal of sick pay for the first three days of absence
There never was actually a proposal to do this!

PCS is also (as voted for by members at annual conference) affiliated to so called ‘hard left’ causes you mention such as UAF and Palastine solidarity, so again, hardly going against the members is it? Lets have a look at things that have happened since Mark and the democracy alliance have been elected:
+ Membership up by over 20% to over 300,000 making PCS the 5th biggest union in the UK, with strong finances
+ Parliamentary Groups in Westminster, Cardiff, Edinburgh
+ High profile in the media
+ Thousands more local representatives and over 1,500 union learning reps
+ Over £24m compensation won for personal injuries
+ Defended the final salary pension scheme and the pension age at 60 for existing staff, and introduced a good scheme for new entrants
+ Won a national agreement on avoiding compulsory redundancies – since then, not a single member has lost their job against their will
+ Stopped the withdrawal of sick pay for the first three days of absence

#9 Hold on lets dust off that magic wand eh. He may be one of the best general secretaries out there but he’s not a magician and maybe if you supported aims such as these and galvanised support amongst members then these things would be more achievable - its called collective struggle, but then I guess some people think all you need to do is talk nicely to the employer and they’ll grant your every wish. Increased privitisations - yeah thats Serwotka’s fault, nothing to do with the agenda of New Labour and the greed and penny pinching of the priviteers. Some good pantos on in London this year you may want to check out.

Of course he won’t, Bryson is in favour of the attacks on CSCS. His PCS branch has seen the fastest drop in membership in the region (when most branches are growing). It’s hardly a surprise that Howard Fuller, who spends his time accusing all and sundry of anti-semitism, would back Bryson. Even the AWL find Fuller and Bryson to be barking mad.

“Should provide legal representation, when requested , to members and activists at Employment Tribunals” - Not ahieved

“We must return to equal rates of pay for work of equal value” except for the Prison Service which had nothing to do with Serwotka and NEC - Not achieved

“PCS must reject all forms of Performance Pay” in fact Mark Serwotka has endorsed dozens if not hundreds of pay settlements that have included some form of performance pay Not achieved

“The rate of pay for the job is the maximum. I therefore reject any pay system that does not allow all members to achieve this in five years” - Not achieved

“Many members have to claim Working Families Tax Credit. This is an indictment of PCS.” If anything more members than ever have to claim benefits. Is this an indictment of Serwotkas leadership? Not achieved

“We should attack the cause of ill health not let the employer attack members who are too ill to come to work.” Now Mark Serwotka claims he defended the attack on sick pay. However, the numbers of members attacked by the employer has increased massively and led to hundreds if not thousands of members losing their jobs Not achieved

“The threat we face from privatisation is worse now than under the last Government.” The threat we face from privatisation is worse now than under the last General Secretary. More privatisation has taken place under Serwotka than previous General Secretaries combined Not achieved

“If elected I will campaign for the return of an Annual Conference and annual election of the National Executive Committee.” Achieved

“I also believe all senior full time officers of the union should be elected annually….” Five yearly elections for AGS and DGS, not annual. Elections of other full time officers despite conference policy ignored and buried. Mark Serwotka has had the opportunity to put himself up for election every year but hypocritically chose not too. Partially achieved

“I pledge to you that if elected I will not accept the full salary of over £60,000.” The amount Mark Serwotka has donated back to PCS has shrunk in both actual size and as a percentage of his ever inflating salary. He now takes far more than a £60,000 salary. Not achieved

Besides the pensions deal, Mark Serwotka has signally failed to achieve the improvements he promised or even to defend what he inherited. 100,000 job cuts spring to mind. The failed and botched pay campaign is another classic example. Yes the Government are to blame for their attacks, but Mark in his 2000 election address when referring to his opponents and their leadership of the union stated … are responsible for its failings. Mark is responsible for our failings and it on that basis that I and I know many others are voting for Rob Bryson.